Former Georgia Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler is President-elect Donald Trump’s favored pick to lead the Department of Agriculture, multiple news outlets reported Friday.
Loeffler, who served for little more than a year in the Senate after being appointed to fill the retiring Johnny Isakson’s seat at the end of 2019, has a farming background but made her career in business. She’s a former co-owner of the Atlanta Dream professional basketball team, among other ventures.
In 2020, Loeffler lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a special election to fill the remainder of Isakson’s term. Loeffler had the unusual distinction of briefly being the state’s senior senator when Sen. David Perdue, a Republican, lost his bid for reelection in 2020.
Loeffler, whose tenure lasted from January 2020 to January 2021, was solidly behind then-President Trump during her time in office. She’s since built on those credentials, contributing heavily to the 2024 election effort.
